An engineering or constructional member comprising at least two strips bonded with an adhesive; each of the strips comprises bamboo impregnated or treated with a polymer derived from one or more furfuryl alcohol resin precursors.

A transparent wood surface imprinting optical device is provided. A preparation method for the device includes cleaning and drying surfaces of transparent wood, spin-coating polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) on a substrate of the transparent wood to obtain a PMMA layer, and spin-coating an ultraviolet (UV) glue on the PMMA layer to obtain a UV glue layer; placing the transparent wood on a silicon wafer, attaching a transparent grating array imprinting template on the UV glue layer, exposing the UV glue layer, and removing the transparent grating array imprinting after the exposing, thereby to obtain a grating-structure-based transparent wood; and replacing the grating structure imprinting template by a lattice structure imprinting template to prepare lattice-structure-based transparent wood. The diffraction efficiency of the grating structure and the lattice structure on the transparent wood are greater and more stable than those of PMMA substrates.

The present invention provides a method for the acetylation of wood comprising treating the wood with an acetylation medium under wood acetylation reaction conditions and drying the acetylated wood, wherein the drying comprises at least two steps, wherein the wood is first dried with a first drying medium and then with a second drying medium.

The present invention relates to a method for continuous acetylation of wood elements. The acetylation is conducted with an acetylation medium at a pressure of at least 1.5 barg in a substantially oxygen free environment. Alternatively, the method according to the invention comprises the steps of: (a) feeding wood elements in a substantially oxygen free environment to a continuous acetylation reactor, and (b) treating the wood elements with an acetylation medium in the continuous acetylation reactor under wood acetylation reaction conditions, at a pressure of at least 1.5 barg.

The process according to the present invention allows to acetylate wood elements to a high acetyl content in a very efficient way, without compromising on the quality of the material. The acetylated wood elements can be used in the production of medium density fibreboards with superior qualities such as dimensional stability and durability.

A flexible structure is formed by subjecting cellulose-based natural wood material to a chemical treatment that partially removes hemicellulose and lignin therefrom. The treated wood has a unique 3-D porous structure with numerous channels, excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility, and improved flexibility as compared to the natural wood. By further modifying the treated wood, the structure can be adapted to particular applications. For example, nanoparticles, nanowires, carbon nanotubes, or any other coating or material can be added to the treated wood to form a hybrid structure. In some embodiments, open lumina within the structure can be at least partially filled with a non-wood substance, such as a flexible polymer, or with entangled cellulose nanofibers. The unique architecture and superior properties of the flexible wood allow for its use in various applications, such as, but not limited to, structural materials, solar thermal devices, flexible electronics, tissue engineering, thermal management, and energy storage.

The invention claims a flame-retardant and corrosion-resistant fiber bamboo substrate and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method comprises the following steps of: 1) cutting raw bamboo into bamboo filaments; 2) flame-retardant treatment: soaking the bamboo filaments prepared in Step 1) in aqueous solution of a flame retardant; 3) drying: drying the flame-retardant treated bamboo filaments at 55 C. to 65 C. until the absolute water content is not more than 12%; 4) carbonized pyrolysis: feeding the dried bamboo filaments into a carbonized pyrolysis kiln, to be high-temperature treated according to a pyrolysis gradient; and, 5) sequentially gumming, post-gumming drying, pressing, curing, maintaining and splitting to obtain a bamboo substrate. The bamboo substrate has high stability, no cracks on the product surface, enhanced corrosion resistance and excellent flame retardance, and may be used in various climate conditions and environments.

Disclosed is a process for the acetylation of wood, wherein the wood is impregnated with acetylation fluid and heated in stages. It is thereby secured that an acetylation reaction is conducted at a temperature above the boiling temperature of the acetylation fluid, at a stage where the impregnated wood is largely devoid of free acetylation fluid (i.e., acetylation fluid not retained in the wood matrix or in capillaries). Preferably, the process is conducted in a plant having conveyors, such as transportation screws, in the zones in which the separate heating steps are conducted.

A process is provided for treating wood products including lumber, plywood and other engineered wood products comprising the steps of contacting a composition comprising a polypropylene glycol, a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, a polyether polyol having low solubility in water, or a polytetrahydrofuran, or hydrophobic polyether polyol, with the wood product. The invention also provides wood products comprising a polypropylene glycol, a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, a polyether polyol having low solubility in water, or a polytetrahydrofuran, or hydrophobic polyether polyol, that have greater dimensional stability compared to an untreated wood product.

The present disclosure describes a treated cellulosic material comprising: a cellulosic material having a porous structure defining a plurality of pores, at least a portion of the pores containing a treating agent comprising: a polymer comprising an olefin-carboxylic acid copolymer; and a modifying agent comprising a quat.

A process for treating lignocellulosic pieces with a water-soluble lignocellulosic material preservative. The process comprises the step of contacting the lignocellulosic pieces with a water-based preservative solution having a contact temperature between about 70 C. and about 95 C., the water-based preservative solution containing the water-soluble lignocellulosic material preservative in a concentration above about 25% wt. A lignocellulosic treatment apparatus for treating lignocellulosic pieces is also provided.